Extra Credit
by Aya Diefair
Summary: When Professor Slughorn thwarts Draco's attempt to brew Polyjuice Potion for 'extra credit' by partnering him with Harry for assistance, things couldn't have gone any worse for them and their history of botching brews. - — Gift for secretfanficlover
1. Polyjuice Dilemma

**Summary: **When Professor Slughorn thwarts Draco's attempt to brew Polyjuice Potion for 'extra credit' by partnering him with Harry for assistance, things couldn't have gone any worse for them and their history of botching brews.

**Rated:** T

**Genre:** Humor

**Warning Tag: **Implied/Referenced Bullying; Implied/Referenced Oblivious Teasing/Flirting; Implied/Referenced Sexual Tension; Language

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\- This Story is Dedicated to secretfanficlover -

Happy Birthday!

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**Chapter 1: Polyjuice Dilemma**

It was nearing the end of potions class, and with it, Harry received yet another outstanding NEWT-level brew. It was a wonderful feeling to be praised for his skills in the class for a change, unfortunately it had a trade-off to having Snape be the new Defense professor instead. So far it seemed like Snape decided to take a very cold approach to him this year and pretend he didn't exist in the classroom, which was fine by Harry. It wasn't ruining his favourite class—at least not yet, anyway.

As he cleared his station, Harry made sure to swipe his potions book from the table before taking his cauldron and spare ingredients to store in the cauldron room. After all, this particular book was one of the best worn-out hand-me-downs he'd ever received due to the fact it was the source of his hidden brewing talents, and he wasn't going to allow it out of his sight. He didn't even trust his friends with it, after all.

This possessive behavior didn't go unnoticed by another student in the potions class who passed by seconds prior.

He waved off Hermione and Ron when they gathered around him back at their table, ready to leave for their next class.

"Professor Slughorn needed me for something. I'll catch up with you in a minute," Harry assured.

Hermione gave a cautious look behind him before signaling Ron to follow before he took notice of the other student lingering behind. "Okay. See you in Charms."

Harry nodded, seeing them out. He took a calm breath before approaching the professor's desk at the back—or front, depending on one's perspective, he supposed—of the classroom. He took great lengths to ignore Draco who stood by a chalkboard, it seemed he was doing the same by focusing on the notes written there from class. He could only hope that he wasn't part of as to why Slughorn wanted to see him.

"You wanted to see me, professor?" Harry asked, putting all of his attention on the portly man in front of him.

Professor Slughorn looked up from his work and offered a toothy smile to Harry. "Ah, Harry my boy. Just the student I need."

"Sir?" he asked, gripping the Half-Blood Prince's book in his hand nervously.

This didn't go unnoticed by the blond, either.

Slughorn subtly gestured to Draco as he spoke. "I have extended an extra credit assignment to Mr. Malfoy here to—ah—_further improve_ his marks, but the potion assigned is rather a tricky one to brew alone even for NEWT level students, you see."

Harry barely glanced over in Draco's direction before looking back at the professor. Of course he had to be the reason behind this meeting. It was just Harry's luck. He scratched the back of his head with his free hand while clutching the Advanced Potions book to his chest, a heavy feeling settled in his gut as he realized where the conversation was going. The thought of being ratted out for cheating was relieved at the very least.

"I'd hope my best student would assist him with it? For extra credit marks as well, of course," the professor finished, popping a piece of powdered pineapple in his mouth while looking to Harry with promising expectations.

Despite his best efforts for ignoring the blond, Harry could feel his steely grey eyes bore into him with all the malice and hatred the prat could muster to the point that it made Harry's skin prickle. He subconsciously itched the back of the hand gripping his potions book.

"You mean, like having an apprentice?" Harry asked, making sure the subtle taunt was received with a sideways glance at Draco who was now seething by the chalkboard.

"Mm, in a way, of sorts," Slughorn mused, "Though I admire your enthusiasm, Harry, and your potions are on the master-like levels, but I believe I would still be taking the role of mentor and you two as my mentees in this project."

"Right, I meant no disrespect," Harry said.

Draco's head appeared to be pressed against the board now, which told Harry he was definitely _not_ perusing the notes written on it anymore. Good, let him squirm and be thoroughly embarrassed that the professor all but flat out said he was flunking the class in front of his most hated person. Harry also knew he must have been just as irritated that Slughorn felt the need to spoil whatever plan he had for making whatever potion it was to begin with as well. It took a lot of self-conscious effort to not smirk in Draco's direction.

This had Harry wonder...

"What potion is it?" he questioned, realizing Professor Slughorn seemed to avoid revealing this information.

Harry had a gross feeling that it was not one listed in the potions book he now cradled back at his side.

"Polyjuice Potion," Slughorn said after another bite of sweet powdered pineapple, "Quite advanced for sixth years, but I am sure it will be a breeze for you, Harry. From what I understand, you have had some second-hand experience with its uses already two years ago."

Draco scoffed in the background, but the two ignored it.

"Sir…"

"Of course it is strictly for academic purposes only," he added in quickly. "Once it is graded the potion will be properly disposed of immediately."

"I'm not sure I can, sir. Things tend to go wrong when we are potions partners."

"That is an understatement," Draco muttered, glaring at Harry.

Slughorn didn't seem to notice the hostility brewing between the two students. "Now, now, don't let your confidence dwindle so soon, Harry. I wouldn't have bothered approving Mr. Malfoy's potion of choice if I didn't think you two could handle it yourselves with your pristine skills. Of course I will be supervising here in the classroom, and will make sure the times are aligned with the required steps as needed so nothing will go wrong and it won't interfere with your studies."

Harry and Draco openly glared at each other now while the professor rambled on about his safety precautions. Why did he always have to be paired up with the prat? Even though he found it amusing to playfully antagonize Draco, the potions mishaps were getting a little dangerous based on the last one they attempted to brew together wound up spilling all over Draco, effectively dying everything on his person bubblegum pink.

Screwing up a Polyjuice Potion would be beyond disastrous.

"I'd expect that this extra assignment will be kept on the quiet side among your peers and other professors. Although extra credit isn't forbidden, the nature of the assignment is quite a sensitive one, you understand?"

"Of course, professor," Draco said, hedging on the sickly-sweet sucking up attitude that lit a fresh wave of irritation through Harry. "But if Potter isn't up for the challenge, I will settle for something less incapable of his expertise."

He looked back at Harry, silently taunting him to decline.

Harry didn't reply for several seconds, conflicted to take Draco's bait or throw it back in his face and walk away. He wondered which one would irritate the blond git more and weighed his options before turning back to Professor Slughorn.

"I would be _delighted_ to help your struggling student, sir."

As soon as the words left his lips Harry mentally cursed himself. Polyjuice Potion was definitely _not_ in the Half-Blood Prince's footnotes, nor was it even in the Advanced Potions book that he possessively carried with him everywhere.

Hermione was going to have a field day with this information.

He didn't bother concerning himself over the deadly glare being sent his way nearby. Instead, Harry continued to focus all of his attention on his potions professor.

Slughorn gave Harry another toothy smile that lit up his entire face. "Good, good. I am glad to hear it. I'll see both of you this evening after supper and we will get started then."

He handed Harry an excused tardy note and patted him on the arm. Draco snatched his own from the man and all but shoved past Harry on his way out the door, grumbling to himself about something.

Harry could only hope that Draco's potion skills were truly as sharp as his tongue was, otherwise they were going to be facing quite the dilemma.

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**Word Count: **1,389


	2. Polyjuice Problems

**Author's Note: **Ah, it has been a minute, yes? I haven't forgotten about this, I promise. I have a bad habit of starting something and then forgetting about it, please don't send me to the gallows.

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**Competition/Challenge Block:  
Written for/Stacked with:** Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Term 12); Monthly Challenges for All (Year 3)  
**House:** Ravenclaw

**Other Hogwarts Challenges:** IPC: 94 [Cauldron]; Auction [8-3 - Polyjuice Potion]; Seasonally

**Other MC4A Challenges: **  
**Representation:  
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges:  
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: **

**Word Count: **4,403 (Per GDocs)

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**Polyjuice Problems**

The evening seemed to have flown by and Harry found himself reluctantly needing to split away from Ron and Hermione shortly after supper. He regretted not declining to help Draco with his ridiculous extra credit assignment the second he caught himself watching Draco quietly leave the Slytherin table a good twenty or so minutes before he did. At least no one else noticed his blatant staring. The git knew how to drive him up a wall, but he also knew how to do the same to Draco.

"I still say you should tell him to shove off and come back to the dorms with us, mate," Ron suggested for at least the fifth time already. "The prat is always up to no good. You said so yourself that he's Death Eater scum."

Hermione half-rolled her eyes. "Stop putting words in Harry's mouth, Ron! Besides, we can't be certain what we saw going on in Knockturn Alley."

"Nothing good, I can tell you that much," Rod said with a scoff. "Your lack of conviction is going to get you into a lot of trouble one day, Hermione. Defending the arse who called you the M-word is pretty low of you."

"It's called being above your oppressors, _Ronald. _ Not like you know anything about _that…_" Hermione scolded.

"Psh, you think I _like_ hearing people's scathing comments about my…"

Harry tuned out their bickering, allowing his thoughts to fall back onto Draco. He wondered what sort of scheme he had planned that required polyjuice in the first place, but soon Harry thought back on the last few times they'd been potions partners. All of their brews had been disastrous, and the strange tension that escalated between them that caused the negligence of the potions always left Harry flustered and confused. Who knows what Draco thought about the situations, he really didn't want to know or care. And yet Harry still found himself biting his lip while pondering this very question until Hermione's shrill voice pierced his attention.

"_Anyways,_" Hermione continued with a huff, "I do find it strange that Malfoy selected such a complex potion for extra credit myself. Though I admire your dedication in attempting to further gain Professor Slughorn's trust by accepting to help, Harry. Just be careful."

Harry sighed, not finding either of his friend's tones or contributions to the situation helpful in any way. He was right in predicting Ron's irrational reaction to it as well as Hermione's diminutive and borderline mocking comments about what he's going to do since The Half-Blood Prince's book didn't have that potion within its pages. And of course she had to add in the fact that Dumbledore set him on a task he wasn't even sure how to complete in order to gain some kind of essential knowledge the new potions professor possessed. He hadn't even set foot into the classroom yet and he was already getting a headache. Potion fumes weren't going to help it either, or dealing with Draco.

"Appreciate the support," Harry snapped, heading for the stairs to the dungeons, "but I have a potion to brew and a git to deal with."

"Wait," Hermione said, causing Harry to sigh and stop in his tracks. He heard her pull some parchment from her bag. "My notes from second year. I hope they help. I transfigured them so it appears in your handwriting so you won't get into trouble. Polyjuice can be disastrous if not properly handled and has a very small margin of error. Please do be cautious, Harry."

He took them from her and glanced at them before tucking them in his bag. He wanted to appreciate the gesture, but after hearing them rag on him throughout dinner about his decision to follow through with the extra credit, he was really peeved off at them.

"Thanks."

"Good luck, mate," Ron said, giving him a wave as they went their separate ways.

Harry sighed as he approached the potions classroom. Resting his forehead against the door, he took in a deep breath before giving it a good shove. The thick door was always a pain to open, but he knew it was designed as a safety precaution.

Draco was already there, at no surprise to Harry, with a brew station already set up, as expected. It irritated him that the prat always felt the need to take certain measures into his own hands in order to feel superior. Harry was pretty sure he had no limits when it came to sucking up to teachers, even if it wasn't his precious Snape, that drove him to do things like that. Now that Snape was the defense against the dark arts professor, it made the class as infuriating as potions was and he hated it.

Pushing that thought aside, Harry approached the prepped station and tucked his book bag against the wall and shelf on the floor before moving to the cleaning station to wash his hands. Professor Slughorn was nowhere in sight, and it had Harry wonder if Draco would've preferred it that way based on how eager he seemed to get started. If the slight widening of those shimmering grey eyes when he entered were any indicator, Harry deduced that Draco was surprised to see him there. This only fueled Harry's suspicion of what the blond was really up to.

"You're late," Draco hissed, lining the vials of ingredients carefully on the stand near the copper cauldron.

"I prefer to taste my supper, thank you," Harry quipped back, drying his hands before shifting back over to the table where he looked Draco over. "You look awful. Are you even fit to brew?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "I'm fine. And if you knew the first stage of this potion takes two hours—"

Professor Slughorn entered the classroom then, having both of them turn their attention toward him. He didn't seem to notice them at first until he shuffled halfway across the classroom, looking up from the small bag of sweets in his hand and meeting their gazes.

"Ah," Professor Slughorn said with minor surprise, "you're both early. All well and good, I suppose. This first segment does take some time to process, so I admire your dedication. Five points each for your Houses."

He moved over to his desk where he pulled a copy of _Moste Potente Potions _from his drawer and handed it to Harry. "Everything you need will be in here. Page twenty-three I believe."

"We'll be careful," Harry assured, accepting the book.

"Very good," Professor Slughorn said. "I took the liberty in stocking the more time sensitive ingredients not normally available and placed them in the secured storage box underneath your station. However," he said, raising a finger, "I still had to present a challenge to you both, and sometimes an ingredient may not be what they seem. Use them wisely and tread carefully."

"Of course, Professor."

Professor Slughorn nodded slowly, satisfied at the reassurance. "Good, good. I'll be at my desk should you need anything."

Draco was already adjusting the fire under the cauldron, already having a strew of various ingredients set up on the table opposite of the station when Harry approached, propping the book open on the bookstand conveniently set up next to where Draco was working.

"Fancy," Harry said, tapping the swirl design on the top of the book holder. It moved at the contact and hooked over the pages, keeping them from folding closed.

Draco ignored him, instead he focused on the beginning steps of the potion by detangling two bundles of knotgrass. "Get the fluxweed."

"Why can't you?"

Draco sat the ingredient down and turned to face Harry, grey eyes flashing with annoyance despite his pallid appearance. "Because last I checked you were _assisting_ me. Fluxweed from the full moon, now."

"I'm pretty sure Professor Slughorn said we were working _together _on this," Harry corrected before he started reading labels to find the correct fluxweed.

The professor wasn't kidding about making it challenging. There was fluxweed from each of the moon phases listed, making it essential to pay close attention and not rely on sight skim alone. Finding the full moon, he collected the bottle.

Draco had the base mixture already in the cauldron so Harry went and dropped the three measurements in while Draco was busy fishing out four leeches. Adding in the two bundles of knotgrass, Harry started to stir the concoction before he silently flicked his wand accordingly to activate the brew. The color took on a strange grey tint already, Harry didn't recall it looking like that when Hermione brewed it in second year. He shrugged, not thinking much of it as he signaled Professor Slughorn they were done with the first stage.

He turned to watch Draco attempt to handle the worm-like creatures. "Little early for those, isn't it?'

Draco swore when one tried to attach to his finger. "So what?"

"Just saying we have an hour yet, and you're doing it wrong," Harry said.

Draco froze at what he was doing. "You started it already?"

"Uh, yeah. I know how to follow a recipe, Malfoy."

He shoved the jar of leeches into Harry's hands before storming over to the potion to inspect it. Draco grabbed the jar of fluxweed and checked the label, letting out a loud breath in the process.

"Thank Merlin you grabbed the right one." Draco glanced at Harry then, gesturing to the leeches he held. "Well? Get four of those bloodsuckers out since you know what you're doing."

Harry glared at him, sat the jar down, and grabbed his book bag instead to work on homework while they waited. "Bite me."

The hour it took for the first part of the potion to set felt like ages. Harry couldn't think straight as he stared down Draco sitting on the opposite side of the room scratching away at whatever assignment. Harry had charms homework out but simply couldn't focus. All that was racing through his head was trying to figure out why Draco needed a polyjuice potion, what was he going to try and use it for, and silently enjoyed seeing the git seethe at Professor Slughorn roping himself into the entire ordeal.

Draco suddenly appearing beside Harry threw him out of his deep thinking. The closeness of him had Harry instinctively lean away. "Invading personal space much?"

"Get the lacewing flies. We have five minutes before the next segment." Draco turned and headed for their station then.

Harry rolled his eyes, packed his homework up, and went to the table where the ingredients sat. He noticed from the corner of his eye that Professor Slughorn was not at his desk and found his absence curious before shrugging. Probably went to the loo.

Looking around, he couldn't locate the correct lacewing flies.

"Malfoy, these are labeled by day. Which one is needed?"

"_Lacewing_, Potter," Draco snapped, only half-listening. "Make sure they are ones that have been stewed."

Harry read every label, they all said stewed for a certain amount of days aside from one. "They all say stewed. But how many days?

Harry heard Draco walking over, moving to the side so he could see.

"This better not be a joke…" Draco muttered, scanning the jars.

The closeness had Harry bristle again as the git stood so very close to him. It was that same strange feeling he always got when Draco got just a little too close for comfort. He could swear he picked up the faint scent of sandalwood. If Harry didn't know any better, it could be the type of soap he used, or maybe it was incense. He remembered smelling it back in second year when he snuck into the Slytherin common room, and even then he wondered if it was Draco or the incense that happened to be lit on the mantle of the fireplace at that time. It was difficult to tell then as it was now, and it definitely wasn't the time to wonder over his scent of all things.

Whatever it was, it smelled nice, and Harry found himself staring at the blond git for far longer than he should have. Damn did this prat drive him crazy...

Draco looked at Harry then, or so he thought, and Harry averted his eyes immediately. Hoping beyond hope he didn't flush from being caught. When he saw Draco's arm suddenly reach for him, Harry looked up and pressed his back against the shelves, finding this gesture surprising.

'_Brewing potions of all things…' _he thought, feeling the strange claustrophobia start to set in from the tightness of the space between the counter, table, and wall. Why did they pick a corner station again? His heart started to race like it sometimes did when feeling trapped. But this felt a little different, he didn't feel that kind of panic, it was different.

When Draco reached over his shoulder and grabbed a large jar from behind, Harry physically relaxed, pressing himself against the wall as best as he could to stay out of the way. Of course it didn't go unnoticed by Draco, and a blond brow was raised at the drastic change in Harry's demeanor.

"Is there a problem?"

"No."

He held Draco's gaze a little too long before clearing his throat and looking at the jar. "Someone misplaced it, then."

Harry realized Draco hadn't moved, keeping their proximity close on purpose. "Seems so."

The tension was becoming overwhelming now, so Harry decided to slip by Draco, accidentally brushing against his arm in the process. Draco was the one to pull back from the contact this time.

"Better get on with the brewing, yeah? Grade on the line and all," Harry teased to hide his nervousness, knowing that it would get under Draco's skin.

What they forgot to check was if they had the correct container of lacewing flies, and as Draco measured them out in the mortar, Harry skillfully got the four leeches from the jar, checking to see if they needed sliced, mashed, or otherwise, before placing them whole into the grey-colored potion. He watched Draco grind the flies down, watching his arm flex from use, and after immersing himself in The Half-Blood Princes techniques for a while now, the method Draco was using to mash them annoyed Harry.

"It's going to take ages to make a paste that way," he stated, grabbing the liquid base ingredient that was always used to start a potion and moved to the mortar.

"I know what I am doing, Potter," Draco hissed.

"Yeah, you know how to get a sore shoulder grinding that way," Harry deadpanned, "I know an easier way."

"Shove off."

"Since when have I steered you wrong with brewing potions?" Harry goaded, already thinking of a few incidences they shared.

This had Draco freeze at the subtle reference to the last time they worked together in detention from fifth year that resulted in pink hair. It gave Harry the opportunity to wedge himself between Draco and the table. He placed his hand over Draco's that held the pestle and added a drop of base ingredient despite the protests. He could feel Draco's huffs of agitation on his neck, but neither of them didn't pull or even try to move away, and Harry became hyper-alert of their closeness again. He wondered if Draco felt it as well, or if the fatigue that he seemed to carry with him for a while now was getting to him that allowed him to comply with what was happening.

"Grind like this," he said, feeling his cheeks tinge some at the comment.

Gripping the pale hand and pestle in order to push down and into the dip of the bowl, Harry turned the mortar a tad before doing it again. "It extracts the juices better and mixes it at the same time."

He let go after the third demonstration and stepped aside, allowing Draco to continue the method as he watched. "See? It is done already."

Draco looked his way then, puzzled by the outcome. "How…?"

Harry shrugged, offering a smirk. "My little secret."

Breaking eye contact, Harry turned to the cauldron as Draco brought the mortar over. The two reached for the measuring spoon at the same time, and Harry pulled back this time at the contact. "Sorry."

He instead quickly went for the burner, resulting in his hand brushing against Draco's outer thigh. That startled him, almost losing the heavy mortar in the meantime. "Watch it!"

"S-sorry!"

Harry adjusted the burner and stepped away, allowing Draco to add the ingredient. He noticed a pink tinge on his cheeks, and Harry bit his lip in a vain attempt to stop himself from making a sly comment.

"Bicorn horn is next. One measurement," Draco muttered, reaching for his wand as he finished measuring the last scoop of paste and dumping it in the cauldron.

"Right," Harry said before pausing, "I think it's boomslang skin?"

"Just get the horn," Draco hissed. "I got the skin here."

"Alright."

Not seeing another mortar nearby, Harry reached for the one in Draco's hand. The debris from the potion dropped on the floor, making it slick and causing him to slip and stumble into Draco. Draco dropped the mortar on the table, catching Harry before he could properly process what happened. The cauldron shook from the sudden impact, sloshing around its contents some.

"Watch it!" he hissed, practically holding Harry in a hug now.

Harry pushed himself off Draco, shrugging his shoulders to correct his robes. "It isn't my fault you're so messy."

He cleaned the mortar before crushing the horn into a fine powder, Draco watched how he did it intently before he busied himself with the boomslang skin. Harry noticed the potion was bubbling quiet aggressively, raising concern.

"Do you think the sloshing will mess up the potion?" Harry asked, gesturing to the cauldron.

Draco shifted over to it and looked it over, checking the temperature. "Looks fine."

"Is there something the matter?" Professor Slughorn asked, startling them both at his stealthiness.

He must have been silently observing them based on where he stood near the cauldron, inspecting the contents.

"Yes, professor," Draco said quickly.

Harry held his breath, wondering what he was going to say about the potion.

The professor nodded slightly, shifting his attention to the ingredients lined up behind them both. "Good, good. I trust your talents, Harry," he said as if Harry was the one who answered him, "but be absolutely sure this is correct before leaving."

"Of course, professor," Harry stammered out, waiting for Professor Slughorn to retreat back to his desk so he couldn't be overhead.

"You see? Even he knows something is off. It's because we jostled it a bit. You think it getting stirred will be a problem?"

Draco scoffed, dropping the measured out skin in it the second the last grain of sand in the hourglass fell. "It's _fine. _Get the horn. We are almost done."

Harry obliged, but he wasn't liking how it was responding to the new added ingredient and wondered if he should alert Professor Slughorn again. He didn't pay too much attention when Hermione brewed it, but he was pretty sure that it didn't bubble this much.

He measured out the powder and handed it to Draco. "Here."

Draco sprinkled it over the top and cranked the flame up, turning the twenty second hourglass over. The two waited in silence, but Harry couldn't tear his eyes away from the bubbly concoction. Draco waving his wand pulled him from his trance, and Harry reached over to turn the flame down as low as it could get without going out so it could simmer. In eighteen hours the thing would be done, and Harry dreaded the outcome.

"It's done." Draco promptly tidied up the station and Harry returned the ingredients to the professor's desk where he seemed to be snoozing.

When he turned around, Draco was already gone. Letting out a sigh, he turned back to the professor to tell him they were done for the night.

* * *

Harry couldn't stop thinking about the potion that simmered in the basement. He ran through the ingredients and steps carefully, trying to figure out what might have gone wrong. He could just be paranoid, after all, why should he care if the potion is perfect or not? Professor Slughorn would award extra credit regardless based on the valiant effort put into it.

'_The lacewing flies,'_ Harry thought, staring up at his bed's canopy, '_they weren't the right ones!'_

Shooting up in bed, he tossed the blankets off him and grabbed his invisibility cloak and map from a hidden compartment in the headboard and threw it on, slinking out of the dorms. The common room was eerily quiet, and the stray ghost that lingered at a table gave the space a spooky feel. Quickly sprinting across the room, he reached the exit and quietly activated the map to scan for patrollers. Luckily he knew a couple shortcuts to the ground floor by now, so without further hesitation, Harry bounded down the stairs.

For some obscure reason Harry remembered a work around in case the wrong type of ingredient was used from the footnotes of the Half-Blood Prince, and he needed to get it in the potion before too much longer or things could end in disaster. Even if he didn't care if the potion wasn't correct, something told him that if he could pull it off, it would really impress Professor Slughorn to potentially allow a private gathering between them—a chance he desperately needed right now to hopefully gain whatever Dumbledore wanted from him.

Making it to the ground floor undetected, Harry beelined down to the dungeons and pulled open the potions classroom only to freeze on the spot when seeing Draco hunched over their simmering cauldron.

Not being noticed despite the loud creaking of the door, Harry quickly pulled off the cloak and marched in. "What are you doing?"

Draco jumped at Harry's sudden presence, locking eyes with him immediately as he approached.

"I was checking the coloring, Scarhead," Draco snapped, narrowing his eyes. "If you knew anything about long potion brewing, you'd know checking it every few hours is ideal."

"That's ridiculous," Harry said, scoffing. "Professor Slughorn never said that was needed."

Draco adjusted himself to his full height, taking a step forward toward Harry to hover over him. Harry lifted his chin slightly in defiance, glaring back at the prat.

"That old oaf isn't the only potions master in the school, Potter." Draco did a half-turn and dismissively waved his hand. "Now bugger off before I report you. I actually have permission to be here."

"I am here because we used the wrong lacewing flies," Harry deadpanned.

Draco froze, looking between the cauldron and Harry before he shoved past him to the ingredient cupboard by the professor's desk he didn't seem to lock. Harry promptly followed, knowing where the stabilizer seltzer concoction was that would save their potion. As Draco grabbed the jar of lacewing flies to check the label, Harry slipped in and took the stabilizer vial and attempted to get back to their brew.

Popping the cork, he went to dump the contents before a firm, pale hand grabbed his wrist. "What is that?"

"It will correct our mistake."

Or, at least he hoped it would. It did for easier brews, but it was worth a try. Harry tried to turn his wrist, but Draco was stronger than his otherwise frail appearance showed.

"No," Draco hissed, pulling the vial from Harry's hand. "You're trying to sabotage me!"

Once Harry was released, he threw his hands up in mock defeat. "Look, I honestly wouldn't care if you failed potions, you brought that on yourself, but as odd as it may seem, I need this potion to succeed too, and I am not letting our stupid error ruin it."

Draco's stature shifted, appearing more predator-like. He set his jaw stiffly and reluctantly examined the vial he took. "Stabilizer seltzer?"

"It needs to get into the potion. The sooner the better," Harry stated, trying to reach for it.

Draco pulled his hand away. "Watch it, Potter," he snapped, looking at the vial again. "This stuff is practically a placebo ingredient. It does nothing!"

"Just give it here, Malfoy."

Harry could see that Draco was going to throw it out of spite, so Harry lunged for his arm and snatched it out of his grip. Turning around, he tried to push Draco away so he had time to dump the vial, but Draco grabbed him and jerked him back as he poured. To prevent himself from falling on his face, Harry caught the edge of the table, miscalculating the pullback that effectively released himself from Draco's grasp. Instead, he felt his chest collide with the cauldron. The entire thing spilled over onto the table and all over Harry. The dull gray-green color was hot, and Harry quickly removed his robes to avoid getting burned, sporting his muggle clothes now.

Draco was heated, trying to mop up the sludgy mixture with towels. "You're a fool, Potter. An absolute idiot."

"So says the one wanting to make Polyjuice for some mysterious reasons," Harry deadpanned. "Technically this is your fault."

That didn't set well with Draco. He approached Harry with purpose, causing Harry to press his back to the soiled table and ruined potion.

"This is on you," he spat, jabbing him with a finger to his chest. "Since you're the one so keen on impressing Slughorn, you can tell him what happened."

Harry scoffed. "No thanks. I'm in this mess because of you, you can take the blame."

Draco's hand clenched into a fist, and Harry instinctively flinched at it before he felt hands shoving his shoulders instead. The sting in his back came from the contact with the table, and Harry's hand slipped in the contents trying to stabilize himself. Feeling heated now, he straightened up and shoved Draco back harder, and the two soon found themselves on the floor in a scuffle, causing the ruined potion mixture to stir and blend together and get on them.

It was quickly apparent—but noticed too late— that the chemical reaction caused a small, but definitely noticeable, smokey explosion, alerting the Slytherin Head of House whose quarters was one one reinforced door away from the classroom, and resulted in a very unexpected outcome.


End file.
